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Contact NICE: Customer hotline: (888) 217-0593 Customer support: (800) 642-3611 (800) NICE 611 email: Welcome@nice.com On the web: www.nice.com |
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NICE Systems, Inc. 950 Herndon Parkway Suite 250 Herndon, VA 20170 |
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| IS YOUR RECORDING SYSTEM READY FOR WIRELESS 9-1-1? |
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Over the last decade, the number of cell phone subscribers in the US has grown six-fold to more than 190 million users. And those tens of millions of wireless phones aren't just being used for idle chit chat - they're being used to place emergency calls as well. In fact, when today's 9-1-1 call-takers answer the call, it's more likely than not that the citizen on the other end of the phone is a cellular caller. With so much of the US population increasingly "unwired" and mobile, both wireless and public safety providers are grappling with the challenges of wireless 9-1-1. Among those challenges are seeing that each wireless 9-1-1 call gets directed to the closest PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), and that vital information, such as the caller's number and location, goes along with it. Enhanced 9-1-1 (e9-1-1) service has long provided these capabilities for callers dialing 9-1-1 from landline phones. But now, an FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ruling will ensure these same e9-1-1 services are available to cellular customers as well. Under the FCC ruling, wireless carriers will be required to transmit phone numbers and GPS (Global Positioning System) information that discloses the approximate longitude and latitude for wireless callers dialing 9-1-1. In turn, PSAPs will need to ensure that their centers' 9-1-1 systems are equipped to read and use the GPS-generated information. If your 9-1-1 center is already equipped and ready for wireless 9-1-1, NICE congratulates you. Now may be the time to ask the next logical question - "Is your recording system 9-1-1 wireless-ready too?" Why it matters: wireless data and 9-1-1 recordings can be telling The same ANI and ALI (caller phone number and location) that are vital to dispatching assistance in emergencies are also an integral part of the incident record. Over the last several years, many recording system vendors have added the capability of capturing the caller's phone number and address along with the 9-1-1 recording into their systems. This information gives agencies another way to find recordings (and find them faster) which can translate into real productivity benefits if you handle hundreds or thousands of requests for subpoenaed recordings. But in the case of wireless 9-1-1 calls, the caller's phone number and GPS location information, coupled with the 9-1-1 recording, could prove to be even more telling. Consider this scenario taken right from today's headlines. A woman is kidnapped from a suburban shopping plaza. Unbeknownst to her abductor, she dials 9-1-1 from her cell phone. The call-taker listens as the woman is taken on a 24-mile ride across state lines and repeatedly assaulted. Using the GPS location of her cell phone, law enforcement officials are finally able to close in on her location. The assailant surrenders, is arrested and taken into custody and eventually prosecuted and convicted. During the trial, the District Attorney (DA) uses the recording of the wireless 9-1-1 call and the GPS information as a key piece of evidence. He is able to relate exactly what happened on that fateful day, when it happened, and where it happened - fully corroborating the victim's testimony. On the other side of the country, a police department for a major metropolitan city is dealing with another potentially life-threatening situation. The PSAP has received a number of anonymous bomb threats for major transit locations around the city. The calls are made from an untraceable cell phone. The threats never materialize but an investigation still ensues. The recordings and wireless location information prove key to the investigation. By pulling up the voice recordings and the longitude and latitude from which the calls were placed, the investigators are able to piece together key pieces of information for their investigation. They identify the approximate location of several of the calls, and through background noises on the recordings, are able to zero in on the public places from which the calls were made. With the help of witnesses at these locations, the agency is able to identify, locate, arrest and prosecute the person who made the false bomb threats. These two scenarios have little in common on the surface. What they do show is why it's important ensure that your comm. center is equipped with the latest recording technology to capture wireless 9-1-1 information. Interested in learning more about recording solutions for wireless 9-1-1? Email Welcome@nice.com or contact NICE Systems at 888-217-0593. You can also learn more about wireless 9-1-1 by visiting the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) web site at www.nena.org/Wireless911/Overview.htm or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html. |
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